Las Vegas Pet Shop Owner Jailed For Arson, Co-Conspirator Found In Indiana

A Las Vegas pet shop owner has been jailed after a judge raised her bail from $40,000 to $310,00. Gloria Eun Hey Lee, 35, was arrested and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree arson and first-degree arson according to an earlier report by The Inquisitr.

According to The Washington Post, Lee now faces felony charges of arson, burglary and conspiracy, plus 27 counts of attempted animal cruelty that “could be tried as felonies or misdemeanors.”

The Inquisitr stated that Lee was seen on the surveillance video of the Las Vegas pet store, Prince and Princesses Pet shop, along with another individual who was identified as Kirk Bills, 27. The two were allegedly seen splashing gasoline throughout the store, removing records from the store’s office then setting the place on fire.

What has many animal activists outraged was the fact that the two allegedly set the place a blaze while 27 helpless animals where left inside to burn. Luckily for the 27 puppies, automatic sprinklers reportedly extinguished most of the flames and all the animals were rescued by responding Clark County firefighters.

Reports state that the Judge in the Las Vegas pet shop arson case decided to raise Lee’s bail amount two days after prosecutor Shanon Clowers filed additional charges after saying Lee’s criminal record included “felony and misdemeanors convictions that included a 2001 escape in California.”

The Las Vegas Review-Journal stated that Bills was found and arrested in Crown Point, Indiana by a Chicago-based FBI violent crimes task force. According to the report, Bills is facing similar charges as Lee, and is expected to be extradited back to Las Vegas in the coming weeks.

Animal activists are thrilled with the raise in bail for Lee. Reports state that animal rights advocates held signs outside the courthouse as they waited to hear whether Justice of the Peace Janiece Marshall would raise Lee’s bail and deem her a danger to the community and a flight risk.

“We’re elated she was remanded today,” said Gina Griesen, the head of the advocacy group Nevada Voters for Animals. “We’ll be following this case all the way through.”

Clowers brought up Lee’s priors which included escape, larceny from a bank and forgery according to The Las Vegas Review-Journal. Clowers continued on to mention that Lee was born in Korea and “was a flight risk considering her ties to that country and California.”

“To call her not a danger to the community is absolutely astonishing,” Clowers said. “Her and her boyfriend poured gasoline throughout the puppy store and lit it on fire.”

A preliminary hearing has been set for February 24. At this time it is unknown if Lee will be able to raise the money to post her new bail, and until she can, she will remain in police custody.

[Image via Shutterstock/Kostsov and by Metro Police via Las Vegas Sun]